


Simon, Seaver, Garfunkel, and Garbo

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [35]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:04:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2433137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“OK, we have to start with <i>Wednesday Morning, 3am</i>.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simon, Seaver, Garfunkel, and Garbo

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the **Thicker than Water** universe, where the BAU are kids and teens. Lately there have been a lot of stories about music, what can I say? They love it as much as I do. And Seaver is talking up a storm.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Ashley asked.

“Huh? What do you mean?” JJ asked. “I never said anything about a boyfriend.”

“But you said that you loved him.”

“Who?”

“Paul Simon.” Ashley replied.

“Paul…ohhh.” JJ laughed. “You’ve never heard of Paul Simon?”

“No.” she shook her head.

“What about Simon and Garfunkel?” Morgan asked.

Seaver shook her head again. She had no idea what they were talking about.

“Whoa,” JJ sat up on the couch. “You need to be schooled, young one. I’ll be right back.”

JJ went upstairs to Jason’s room and grabbed all of their albums. Then she came back in the den where they had been hanging out. It was a rainy June afternoon; school had been over for almost two weeks. Hotch, Prentiss, and Jason were all at work.

Penelope and Spencer were at camp. Morgan had football practice later on but JJ was skipping soccer today. Normally she wouldn’t but she was beat. Plus she volunteered to look after Seaver, who wasn’t attending camp her first summer with the family.

“Ever heard of _Cecelia_?” JJ asked. “ _Mrs. Robinson_? _Feelin Groovy_? _The Sound of Silence_?”

“No.”

“You're in for a treat…just sit back and listen. I love my metal, it’s the best, but Simon and Garfunkel are awesome.”

“Can we get lunch first?” Ashley asked.

“I knew I liked you, kid.” JJ smiled. “I can eat. You want hot dogs?”

“Yeah.” she nodded.

“Throw in two for me.” Morgan said, hardly looking up from his handheld football game.

“What's the magic word?” JJ asked.

“Make it snappy!”

Ashley laughed. That got Morgan to look up from his game. He never heard her laugh before. She’d been there a month but hadn't really opened up yet. She was quiet but cordial; nobody knew much about her beyond her name. Derek knew she talked to Spencer, probably because they shared a room, were close in age, and he was quiet as well.

She always listened to Penelope talk but rarely got a word in edgewise. She seemed intimidated by him and Hotch but had gotten close to Prentiss. If anything she was in awe of Jason…she looked at him like she looked at Dave Rossi. With JJ, it seemed like hero worship. She wanted to be strong and tough but still a decent human being. JJ was the personification of that to a seven year old.

“Garbo laughs.” He said smiling.

“Who?” Ashley looked up from the Bookends album cover at him.

“It’s a joke. I'm talking about Greta Garbo.”

“You guys know so much stuff…Paul Simon, Greta Garbo. I don’t know that stuff.”

“You'll learn things as you grow up. Believe me, I had no clue who Greta Garbo was a couple of years ago but we’re a diverse family. We learn from each other and have fun while we do it. I'm sure there's stuff for you to teach us too.”

“Like what? I don’t know stuff.”

“Sure you do.” Morgan replied. “You know all the words to _The Gambler_ , that’s something.”

“Doesn’t everyone know that?” Ashley asked.

“Um…no.” Morgan shook his head.

“Oh.”

“Lunch!” JJ said, coming back with two plates. “I think I remembered how you like them.”

“Extra mustard and barbecue sauce.” Ashley replied.

“Yep,” JJ made a gross face. “I got it to a tee. Hold your applause.”

“I will.” Morgan replied. “Where’s my lunch?”

“It’s in the microwave. Last time I checked you didn’t have any broken bones.”

He groaned, getting out of his chair and heading into the kitchen. He pulled JJ’s ponytail as he walked by.

“Booger!” she exclaimed before smiling at Ashley. “That’s a term of endearment.”

“That means you like him, right?” Ashley asked.

“Most of the time.” JJ smiled. “OK, we have to start with _Wednesday Morning, 3am_.”

***

“What did you do today?” Emily asked as they walked.

It was strange how much Ashley reminded her of herself when she first joined the family. Ashley was a walker; she just had to move her feet. It was like a comfortable version of running away. She felt free when she walked. Emily went with her a few nights a week…sometimes they covered more than a mile.

“JJ taught me about Simon and Garfunkel. We listened to them all day and I liked it. I love _Punky’s Dilemma_ and _Cecilia_. What does making love mean, Emily?”

“You'll find out when you're older.” She replied.

“Morgan told me about Greta Garbo too but I still don’t get it. Tomorrow JJ’s gonna take me to the library.”

“Do you like to read?” Emily asked.

“I dunno.” Ashley shrugged.

“You can read, right Ashley?”

“Yes, I can read.” Her tone was defensive. “I'm not retarded or anything.”

“Hey, that’s not nice.” Emily’s reply was firm as she stopped walking and stepped in front of Ashley. “Calling someone retarded is mean. The term is mentally challenged and there are lots of kids who fall under that description. They work super hard to do a lot of things that other kids take for granted. You should respect that, not make fun of that.”

“I wasn’t making fun.”

“You were. I know it’s easy for things to just slip out of your mouth but you have to be careful. Thinking before you speak can save you from hurting someone’s feelings.”

“OK.” Seaver mumbled as they kept walking.

Emily didn’t mind the silence, even if it was stony. As far as she was concerned it was her and Jason’s responsibility to help Ashley grow to be a thoughtful human being. She was only seven so they had time. It was best to work on it immediately.

“I can read.” Ashley said after a while.

“Are there any books that you like?”

“Not really, and all of Spencer’s have tiny words and don’t even have pictures. I don’t know how he reads those…I don’t want to.”

“Well I'm sure when JJ takes you you’ll find something just for you.”

“She says I gotta sign up for a library card but tomorrow I can use hers. Am I really gonna have my own card?”

“We all do.” Emily smiled. “We take out lots of books and enjoy all kinds of adventures.”

“Yeah.” Ashley nodded.

It was so exciting when Spencer told her the story of _I, Claudius_. She had no idea what the words were when she tried to read the book. It ended up being thrown on the floor in disgust and she had to apologize. But at bedtime when he started telling her all about Augustus Caesar, his wife Livia, and the crazy stuff going on in their family, Ashley was fascinated.

It was really cool. Spencer promised he would tell her more of the story tonight. Never in her life had Ashley looked forward to bedtime. She hoped she could find books like that at the library, with pictures of course.

“Emily?”

“Yes?” Emily looked at her as they rounded the corner. It was time to head home.

“You're not mad at me cuz I said retarded, are you?”

“No, I'm not. Its part of my job as a responsible big sister to tell you what's right and what's wrong and I take my job seriously.”

“OK.” She nodded. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

The rest of their walk was spent in companionable silence, which suited them both. When Emily reached down to hold her hand, Ashley gave her a friendly squeeze. She was still getting used to a family of eight but living with them beat every foster home she’d ever been in. And it was surely better than that hellish group home. Maybe one day Ashley would be able to call them family and their house home. She felt like that’s where she was headed even if she would take her time getting there.

***

  



End file.
